We do not share a direct border with the Russian Federation, but of course the Russian Federation is a serious and significant player in the South Caucasus region. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in an interview with several members of the UK media.

"As to what you said about coming closer with the West, actually we were never far from the West. As for the numerous examples that after the 2018 People's, non-violent, velvet revolution our relationship with the West has come much closer, before the revolution Armenia and the EU had signed the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, and the responsibility of implementing that agreement fell on our Government.

Of course our achievements in the field of democracy have created an objective reality where our relationship can develop dynamically. But if we step aside for a moment from the current media stream, nothing unpredictable is actually happening, especially that after the 2018 revolution we said that democracy for us is not a policy adopted by virtue of circumstances, it is a strategy for us. There is another circumstance that is significant and that circumstance is the diversification of foreign and security relations.

But to be very direct and sincere, it's not a cause, it's a consequence, because we are diversifying our foreign relations, but we are not the only ones doing that. Practically, around the world, you would not find any actor which is not diversifying its foreign relations, even those who prior to 2022 thought they were sufficiently diversified.

Everyone is diversifying their foreign relations, and Armenia could not step aside this new trend," said Pashinyan.

Reflecting on Armenia’s further rapprochement with the EU, Pashinyan reminded that he had said in his speech before the European Parliament that Armenia is ready to be as close with the EU as the latter sees it possible.

"At the moment we seem to be moving in this direction, because, very importantly, this is happening publicly, this is a public process. Especially after the trilateral meeting in Brussels on April 5, there have been allegations that we and the EU have reached some "secret deals". But no, transparency is of utmost importance for us. Our agendas have been made public, the results have been made public, and we do see, to an extent, coming closer with the EU, but I am not seeing anything extraordinary happening there, because that's a course that is not newly adopted by the Republic of Armenia," the Armenian PM noted.